About

OUR STORY

In a fit of nostalgia, my husband
came home with a superhero-themed inflatable bop for our first son. I remembered seeing the toy as a kid, but I never actually owned one ... it was more of a 'boy thing'.

I carefully studied the product box and found only one bit of information; it stands 36” tall when fully inflated. Okay? There was nothing about the materials, product testing or manufacturing process? So I curled up on the couch with my iPad and I got busy.

Dan (the husband) placed the bop toy on the floor and enthusiastically got our little guy involved. Five minutes later,
they were both standing in a puddle of water. I cringed when I saw him throw it
away, knowing that it would exist in some landfill for
hundreds, even thousands of years.

The next day Dan came home with a
different model bop, slightly taller and just as eco-unfriendly. By midnight,
it had sadly sagged to the floor. With the third and final purchase, our product concept was born.

In early 2012, we were blessed to find the oh-so talented Nick Borosh who is the creative genius behind the Pueri brand and our award-winning Eco-Bonk Wildlife Series that is featured in the video above.

Today we're here to tell you about our latest bop toy concept.

OUR KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN

We are looking to fund a second line of inflatable bop toys at a lower retail price. Our goal is to capture a larger share of the specialty toy market, reduce our production costs and take this children's toy company to the next level.

Eco-Bonk Real Hero Series (RHS) is a bop toy collection with characters that are printed on the 'inside' of a clear vinyl inflatable, eliminating direct exposure to ink and preserving the integrity of the design work.

RHS is a best-in-class active-play experience, giving children important role models to tumble around with, embrace and enjoy. The first three characters are ready for production: Fireman Mason, Doctor Sophia, and Soldier Ethan. "When I Grow Up I Want to Be ... A Real Hero and Make a Difference." Our plan is to donate 1% of proceeds to associations that directly support each character's given role.

It's Kid-Friendly & Earth-Conscious. Our vinyl contains no traceable amount of phthalates or BPA and is kinder to the environment than conventional PVC.

It's Safety Tested. Eco-Bonk is tested by a nationally recognized third party laboratory that is accredited by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Eco-Bonk complies with the quality and safety standards for children's products under the Consumer Safety Improvement Act and CPSC’s Standard, ASTM-F963. We take pride in providing consumers with full product disclosure.

It's Weighted With Rice. Eco-Bonk is weighted with rice rather than water, which improves performance and extends product life.

We Promote Learning: We envision Eco-Bonk as the ultimate interactive learning-play experience by also offering an innovative suite of digital storybook apps that empower kids to think for themselves. Beta testing is nearly complete.

We Donate to Charity. We donate 1% of proceeds to a cause that directly ties-in with our Eco-Bonk characters.

Product Promo Card

PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS

Age Recommendation: 2 years and up

Dimensions:
Stands 36 inches tall when fully inflated

Weight: Approximately 4 pounds when fully weighted

Inflatable material: earth-friendly vinyl

EARTH-FRIENDLY VINYL, UGH?

The vinyl film used to create our inflatables is manufactured with ECM MasterBatch Pellets, a revolutionary additive technology that enables petroleum-based plastic to naturally degrade when disposed of in an active landfill, over some period of time greater than one year and exponentially faster than ordinary vinyl films that can take hundreds or even thousands of years to breakdown into the earth.

A finished roll of vinyl film.

The process of converting oils and natural gases into plastic makes it difficult for microbes to access the hydrocarbons from the organic precursors as a food source, which is why petroleum-based plastics are deemed to be non-biodegradable. ECM additives work by encouraging and supporting the biota naturally present in the soil, water and landfill to convert the base vinyl material into a food source for microbes … in the form of biofilms. Once these biofilms are formed, they assist in the microbial consumption and biodegradation process. You are already familiar with some biofilms: the plague on your teeth, the slippery slime on river stones and the gel-like film on the inside of a flower vase. With ECM additives in our vinyl film, this process of breakdown will occur in an active landfill without the need of UV light, heat or oxygen. In addition, the resulting methane from this process can be collected and used as a renewable energy source or, for that matter, as a source of new plastics. ECM additives create no toxic residue and are FDA compliant for use in applications with food contact. Our printing partner is one of very few printers in the United States to be certified as a Sustainable Green Printer by the Sustainable Green Partnership (SGP), a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting, nurturing, and measuring the sustainable efforts of printers across the US. Our inflatable unit is produced using a Radio Frequency RF welding system. Simply defined, RF welding is a “microwave oven” that cooks vinyl film instead of food -- two or more layers of material are placed between two electrodes that compress to form a specific shape using high-frequency impulses that create a superior-quality heat seal in as little as 1.5 seconds. All our scrap vinyl film as part of this process is recycled.

Sealing of rice chamber

REDUCE REUSE RECYCLE

Our packaging is made out of 100% recycled paperboard. To produce recycled paperboard, the process consists of the use of 100% recovered paper (which may have come from your curb). This is mixed with water, formed into fibers, dried, coated and finished into sheets or rolls. This helps preserve our nation's forestland. We even use eco-friendly cornstarch peanuts in our shipping boxes.

WHERE WE ARE

RHS is ready to be produced; the research and development work is done, the supply chain is in place, the prototypes are complete ...

Your dollars will be used to purchase raw materials and cover labor costs for a first production run of Eco-Bonk RHS. Are you ready to make a difference?

SHARE OUR STORY

Word of mouth is critical to our success. Please scroll up to the top of this page and share our campaign on Facebook and Twitter. Blog about us. Create a buzz. Spread the good word. Every single post counts!

Thanks in advance for your support.

QUESTIONS? EMAIL US

We’d love to hear from you. Please contact us at info@eco-bonk.com.

Risks and challenges

We have gained valuable experience from producing Eco-Bonk Wildlife Series over the past twelve months. We've had time to perfect our manufacturing process, to establish relationships with the members of our supply chain and to grow from lessons learned along the way. We are confident in our ability to bring Eco-Bonk Real Hero Series to market, according to the following schedule.

EXPECTED PRODUCTION SCHEDULE

July: Production of vinyl film
Aug: Printing of vinyl panels
Sep/Oct: Fabrication of inflatable units
Oct: Production of product carton
Nov/Dec: Shipment of finished goods

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $30 or more
About $30

COOL DUDS: Let your little ones strut their stuff in a one-of-a-kind organic cotton onesie or kid's tee, featuring Eco-Bonk. Made with Texas cotton. Fabric is spun, dyed and fair-sewn in North Carolina. Three sizes available: 9 to 12 months, 2T and 4T. A perfect gift for the holidays!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $40 or more
About $40

FIREMAN BONK: Receive a Fireman Mason Eco-Bonk Toy from our first production run of RHS. He's brave; he's dedicated; he's selfless. Empower your child to "Be a Real Hero and Make a Difference". A perfect gift for the holidays!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $40 or more
About $40

DOCTOR BONK: Receive Doctor Sophia Eco-Bonk Toy from our first production run of RHS. She's confident; she's responsible; she's empathetic. Empower your child to "Be a Real Hero and Make a Difference". A perfect gift for the holidays!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $40 or more
About $40

SOLDIER BONK: Receive Soldier Ethan Eco-Bonk Toy from our first production of RHS. He's faithful; he's disciplined; he's fearless. Empower your child to "Be a Real Hero and Make a Difference". A perfect gift for the holidays!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $110 or more
About $110

BONK COLLECTION: Own all three RHS Eco-Bonk characters from our first production run: Fireman Mason, Doctor Sophia and Soldier Ethan. Be a Real Hero and Make a Difference. A perfect gift for the holidays!